Riverdance at Hennepin Theatre Trust

For 25 years, Riverdance has captured the imagination of people around the world through the power of music and dance.  The iconic dancers were back at Hennepin Theatre Trust recently for their 25th anniversary.


 Composed by Bill Whelan, produced by Moya Doherty and directed by John McColgan, Riverdance has captured the imagination of people around the world through the power of music and dance. The show originated as a performance act during the Eurovision song contest in 1994, with Irish dancing champions Jean Butler and Michael Flatley taking the lead. Since then, the show hasvisited 450 venues worldwide, and has been seen by over 25 million people.
The first half establishes how the ancient people knew fear and joy and fire, and worked with wood and stone and water to make a place they could call home.  The theme of fire was most heartfelt with the Firedance.  Performed by flamenco soloist Rocio Montoyo, the choreography is intense and proud, expressed by the use of her arms movements and rhythmic stomping. Light designer Andrew Voller turns up the heat as the stage glows red.
One of my favorite numbers is the Russian Dervish, by the Russian Folk Dance Troupe. The routine consists of round-offs and energetic jumps, with male dancers holding their female partners as they swing them around three hundred and sixty degrees. You can’t help but hold your breath and hope there isn’t a sudden release.

The Riverdance Tappers, consisting of Lamant Brown and Tyler Knowlin are fun to watch as well, because they create a nice contrast to the traditional Irish dancing. The jazz tap duo initiate a dance battle with three men from the Irish dance troupe, each person tapping their own style. This creates funny moments when Lamant leans on his partner’s shoulder to yawn and show the Irish troupe that their dancing is putting him to sleep. The fast clicking of the clashing teams puts me at the edge of my seat, and watching their feet made me believe there’s no possible way anyone can move any faster.

It wouldn’t be Irish music without mentioning the musical team directed by Mark Alfred, a native of Monaghan who studied at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin. His team consists of Tara Howley, an award-winning multi-instrumentalist who also plays Uilleann Pipes, Haley Richardson on fiddle and Emma Frampton on saxophone. The audience is encouraged to clap and keep tempo.

During the finale, Will Bryant leads a tap cadence and the company follows with the audience as a third layer clapping along. By the end of the night, you’ll be leaving with more energy than you came with.